RSPB Lake Vyrnwy is calling on you, and the people of Powys, to pop into TESCO Welshpool or TESCO Newtown, from 27 February to 6 March, to vote for the iconic reserve to win TESCO’s Bags of Help campaign. Your vote will enable RSPB Lake Vyrnwy to build an exciting natural play area for your children, so they can enjoy endless hours of fun in the wild.
TESCO has teamed up with community charity, Groundwork, to launch its Bags of Help initiative in hundreds of regions across England and Wales. The scheme will see three community groups and projects in each of these regions awarded grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the five pence bag charge. If successful, the donation would allow RSPB Lake Vyrnwy to build an exciting natural play area for both local children and those visiting the reserve – from a birds nest swing, clatter bridge, sandpit with digger and more. The playground won’t only create a safe space for young children to go wild, it will also provide an opportunity for some wonderful me time for the parents and guardians to marvel at the stunning country scenery.
Sioned Jones, RSPB Lake Vyrnwy Visitor Engagement Manager, said: “Lake Vyrnwy is a major Welsh tourist attraction in Powys. Its breathtaking scenery, iconic tower and dam, and fantastic walks and wildlife attract visitors by their thousands. We have a wonderful reserve and shop, which are open all year round, and some beautiful scenic walks, but we want to offer more – especially for the local people – by offering a brilliant natural play area in this great location. It only takes a few minutes to cast your vote and we’re really relying on the local community to help turn this vision into a reality so that local children can enjoy it for years to come.”
“This donation would allow us to build a play ground on an area of the reserve that is currently underused. The more votes we get the better the playground will be and it will give children the chance to play outdoors so they can jump, climb and swing their way to appreciating our precious wildlife. And as an added bonus, while the children are having a brilliant time playing, parents can relax, grab a cuppa and enjoy a tasty piece of cake in the local café!”
All materials used in the play area will be made from natural substances to encourage children’s creativity and inspire them to care for the wildlife around them. If successful in winning the top prize of £12,000, the reserve hopes to develop a more extensive play area which will allow children to have fun on a log traverse or tunnel their way through a bouldering wall.
Bags of Help offers community groups and projects in each of Tesco’s 390 regions across the UK a share of revenue generated from the five pence charge levied on single-use carrier bags. To cast your vote for RSPB Lake Vyrnwy, just pop into TESCO Welshpool or TESCO Newtown stores from 27 February until 6 March to encourage even more children to enjoy wildlife on their doorstep.